Kit for converting a conventional drum into an electronically triggered drum

Abstract

A conversion kit enables a conventional drum to be transferred into an electronically triggered drum. The kit includes a circularly shaped foam pad, a circularly shaped plywood panel residing beneath the pad and brackets connectable to the peripheral sidewall of the conventional drum in order to support the panel and pad beneath the drumhead. A pair of transducers are mounted to a bottom surface of the panel, one located near the center of the drumhead, and the other located adjacent to the sidewall. Wire leads connect the transducers to jacks mounted in the sidewall of the drum, with one jack being longer than the other to distinguish between the transducer mounting locations. Preferably, the kit also includes a shock absorber mounted between the second transducer and the panel.

I claim: 
     
       1. A kit for converting a conventional drum to an electronically triggered drum, the conventional drum having a peripheral sidewall and a drumhead, comprising: a pad;   a pickup board;   means for removably mounting said pad and said pickup board in the conventional drum beneath said drumhead, the pad being in complete surface contact with said drumhead; and   a pair of electronic pickup assemblies, each assembly adapted to be secured to a bottom surface of the pickup board in order to detect mechanical vibration of said drumhead when impacted from above.   
     
     
       2. The conversion kit of claim 1 wherein said pad is about 1" thick and circular in shape. 
     
     
       3. The kit of claim 1 wherein aid pickup board is about 1/4" thick and circular in shape. 
     
     
       4. A kit for converting a conventional drum to an electronically triggered drum, the conventional drum having a peripheral sidewall and a drumhead, comprising: a pad;   a pickup board;   at least three brackets adapted to be secured to the sidewall of the conventional drum, the pickup board and the pad being supported by said brackets; and   a pair of electronic pickup assemblies, each assembly adapted to be secured to a bottom surface of the pickup board in order to detect mechanical vibration of said drumhead when impacted from above.   
     
     
       5. The kit of claim 1 wherein each electronic pickup assembly further comprises: a transducer;   a jack;   a wire lead extending between said transducer and said jack.   
     
     
       6. The kit of claim 5 wherein one of said electronic pickup assemblies further comprises: a shock absorber adapted to be mounted between said transducer and said pickup board.   
     
     
       7. The kit of claim 5 wherein one of said jacks is longer than the other. 
     
     
       8. A method of converting a conventional drum to an electronically triggered drum, the conventional drum having a peripheral side wall and a drumhead, comprising the steps of: locating a pad beneath the drumhead;   locating a pickup board beneath the pad, the located pad being in complete surface contact with the drumhead; and   securing at least one electronic pickup assembly to an underside of said pickup board, each at least one pickup assembly adapted to detect mechanical vibration of said drumhead and convert said vibration into an electronic signal when a top surface of said drumhead is impacted.   
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising the step of; mounting brackets to the sidewall of the conventional drum to support said pad and pickup board beneath said drumhead.   
     
     
       10. The method of claim 9 wherein said brackets are located a predetermined distance from said drumhead so that a top surface of said supported pad is in contact with a bottom surface of said drumhead. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 8 wherein each electronic pickup assembly includes a transducer, a jack, and a wire lead connected therebetween, and each said securing step further comprises the steps of: securing the respective transducer to a bottom surface of the pickup board; and   mounting the respective jack in a hole formed in the sidewall of the conventional drum.   
     
     
       12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of; drilling holes in the sidewall of the conventional drum, said holes sized to hold said jacks in an interference fit.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 8 wherein two said electronic pickup assemblies are mounted to an underside of said pickup board and further comprising the steps of: mounting a first of said electronic pickup assemblies beneath a center portion of the drumhead; and   mounting a second of the electronic pickup assemblies adjacent to the sidewall of the drumhead.   
     
     
       14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of: mounting a shock absorber between said second transducer and said pickup board.   
     
     
       15. An electronically triggered drum, the drum having a peripheral sidewall, a drumhead sized to cover a first open end of the peripheral sidewall, a rim for retaining the drumhead over the first open end, and means for tightening said rim downwardly upon said retained drumhead, and further comprising: a pad located beneath said drumhead;   a pickup board located beneath said pad;   means for supporting said pad and said pickup board so that a top surface of said pad resides in complete surface contact with a bottom surface of said drumhead and contiguously with an uppermost portion of the peripheral sidewall, said supporting means being connectable to said sidewall;   a first electronic pickup assembly mounted to a bottom surface of said pickup board proximate to the center of said drumhead;   a second electronic pickup assembly mounted to a bottom surface of said pickup board adjacent to the sidewall of said drumhead; and   a shock absorber mounted between said pickup board and second electronic pickup assembly.   
     
     
       16. A drum which has been converted by a conversion kit from a conventional drum to an electronic drum, the electronic drum having a peripheral sidewall and a drumhead, comprising: a pad mounted on the underside of the drumhead in complete surface contact therewith;   a pickup board mounted on the underside of the pad, and   a pair of electronic pickup assemblies, each assembly adapted to be secured to a bottom surface of the pickup board in order to detect mechanical vibration of said drumhead when impacted from above.   
     
     
       17. The drum of claim 16 wherein said pad is about 1" thick and circular in shape. 
     
     
       18. The drum of claim 16 wherein said pickup board is about 1/4" thick and circular in shape. 
     
     
       19. The drum of claim 16 which further comprises bracket means for securing said pad and pickup board to said sidewall, said bracket means comprising; at least three brackets adapted to be secured to the sidewall of the conventional drum, the pickup board and the pad being supported by said brackets.   
     
     
       20. The drum of claim 16 wherein one of said electronic pickup assemblies further comprises: a shock absorber mounted between said transducer and said pickup board.